diff --git a/__tests__/flavored-compilers/gemoji.test.js b/__tests__/flavored-compilers/gemoji.test.js
index 16be2915a..c7e2978ca 100644
--- a/__tests__/flavored-compilers/gemoji.test.js
+++ b/__tests__/flavored-compilers/gemoji.test.js
@@ -7,4 +7,11 @@ describe('gemoji compiler', () => {
 
     expect(md(tree)).toMatch(doc);
   });
+
+  it('writes legacy gemojis back to shortcodes', () => {
+    const doc = ':white-check-mark:';
+    const tree = mdast(doc);
+
+    expect(md(tree)).toMatch(doc.replaceAll(/-/g, '_'));
+  });
 });
diff --git a/__tests__/gemoji-parser.test.js b/__tests__/gemoji-parser.test.js
index c8847cd17..a249feabe 100644
--- a/__tests__/gemoji-parser.test.js
+++ b/__tests__/gemoji-parser.test.js
@@ -94,6 +94,32 @@ test('should output an <i> for a font awesome icon', () => {
   );
 });
 
+test('should support legacy dashes', () => {
+  const emoji = 'white-check-mark';
+  const markdown = `This is a gemoji :${emoji}:.`;
+  const ast = {
+    type: 'root',
+    children: [
+      {
+        type: 'paragraph',
+        children: [
+          { type: 'text', value: 'This is a gemoji ' },
+          {
+            type: 'gemoji',
+            value: '✅',
+            name: 'white_check_mark',
+          },
+          { type: 'text', value: '.' },
+        ],
+      },
+    ],
+  };
+
+  expect(unified().use(remarkParse).use(parser).data('settings', { position: false }).parse(markdown)).toStrictEqual(
+    ast,
+  );
+});
+
 test('should output nothing for unknown emojis', () => {
   const emoji = 'unknown-emoji';
   const markdown = `This is a gemoji :${emoji}:.`;
diff --git a/processor/parse/gemoji-parser.js b/processor/parse/gemoji-parser.js
index f43b26efc..db1b6af66 100644
--- a/processor/parse/gemoji-parser.js
+++ b/processor/parse/gemoji-parser.js
@@ -50,8 +50,20 @@ function tokenize(eat, value, silent) {
           },
         },
       });
-    default:
+    default: {
+      if (name.match(/-/)) {
+        const standardized = name.replaceAll(/-/g, '_');
+        if (Owlmoji.kind(standardized) === 'gemoji') {
+          return eat(match)({
+            type: 'gemoji',
+            value: Owlmoji.nameToEmoji[standardized],
+            name: standardized,
+          });
+        }
+      }
+
       return false;
+    }
   }
 }